Woman sexually assaulted after getting into fake Uber warns others

KIRKLAND, Wash. - A woman sexually assaulted by a man posing as her Uber driver hopes her warning can prevent it from happening again.

"It scares me to my core that he could do this to someone else," Kirsten Page told KCPQ. "Please, I beg you, don't end up the way I did."

Page and Kirkland Police said the attack happened on March 16th. Page said she was waiting for her Uber outside of Wilde Rover Irish Pub in Kirkland when a man approached her and said, "Uber?" She thought it was her ride and got in.

The story is similar to that of other victims in Bellevue, Seattle and SeaTac. Police say predators are driving around outside drinking establishments with their flashers on, preying on women who appear to have been drinking and waiting for rides. In some instances, they believe the drivers are displaying lighted Uber and Lyft signs on their dashboards.

"I'm coming forward to tell people and warn people to be vigilant about getting into ride-shares," Page said.

She said she knew something was wrong with her driver when he got off on the wrong exit. She argued with him but with the doors locked, he drove her to a dark parking lot, got in the backseat and assaulted her. She couldn't escape. The child locks were on.

She fought for her life in the attack that she guessed lasted for several minutes.

"For some reason, he gave up for a split second and I saw the unlock button in the front," Page said. "I flew to the front and I hit unlock in the front and I flew to the passenger side and I got out."

Page ran away, and when she saw her attacker drive away, she called 911. She said she spent the entire next day in the hospital. But she survived.

Less than two weeks later, a South Carolina student also got into the wrong car and after a night out and was killed. In tears, Page said she prays for the family every day.

As more cases of fake ride-share predators came up around western Washington, she knew she had a critical message to share.

She gives the warning, knowing her attacker and others like him could still be out there.

Last week, a man was arrested and charged in two separate cases in Bellevue and SeaTac. That man is also a potential suspect in three other cases, including Page's. However, Kirkland Police said they have not determined that this man is her attacker and are still investigating her case.